British Expeditionary Force, November 1918
v.1.0 August 19, 2001
Graham Watson
In November 1918 the British Expeditionary Force under Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig occupied a 55 mile-long stretch of the allied front line from Voorde in Belgium eastwards to Sivry on the Franco-Belgian border.
The BEF consisted of five armies, of which 2nd Army - the most northerly - was under the Army Group commanded by the King of the Belgians. The other four armies were under command of GHQ BEF. Each army consisted of a number of corps, a few of which were in reserve at the time of the Armistice. Each corps had a number of divisions which were rotated between attack and reserve: the status of each is indicated in the following list.
The order of battle lists armies, corps and divisions from left to right-what had been a north-south line was more akin to a west-east line by 11th November.
2nd ARMY (General Plumer) 10 mile front from Voorde to Lessines
II Corps [in reserve]
9th Scottish Division [in reserve]
34th Division
XIX Corps
41st Division
31st Division
35th Division
X Corps
30th Division
29th Division
XV Corps [in reserve]
14th Light Division [in reserve]
40th Division
36th Ulster Division [in reserve]
Army Command:
3rd Cavalry Division
5th ARMY (General Birdwood) 11 mile front from Lessines to east of Ath
XI Corps
59th North Midland Division
47th London Division
57th West Lancashire Division [in reserve]
III Corps [in reserve]
74th Yeomanry Division
55th West Lancashire Division
I Corps
15th Scottish Division
16th Irish Division [in reserve]
58th London Division
Army command:
1st Cavalry Division
1st ARMY (General Horne) 14 mile front from 9 miles east of Ath to north of Mons
VIII Corps
8th Division
20th Light Division [in reserve]
12th Eastern Division [in reserve]
52nd Lowland Division
Canadian Corps
1st Canadian Division [in reserve]
2nd Canadian Division [in reserve]
3rd Canadian Division
4th Canadian Division
56th London Division
XXII Corps
4th Division [in reserve]
51st Highland Division [in reserve]
11th Northern Division
49th West Riding Division [in reserve]
3rd ARMY (General Byng) 11 mile front astride Sambre from Thuin to Maubege
XVII Corps
19th Western Division
24th Division
61st South Midland Division [in reserve]
63rd Royal Naval Division [in reserve]
VI Corps
Guards Division
2nd Division [in reserve]
3rd Division [in reserve]
62nd West Riding Division
IV Corps
5th Division [in reserve]
37th Division
42nd East Lancashire Division
New Zealand Division
V Corps
17th Northern Division
21st Division [in reserve]
33rd Division [in reserve]
38th Welsh Division
Armycommand:
2nd Cavalry Division
4th ARMY (General Rawlinson) 9 mile front to Sivry
XIII Corps
25th Division [in reserve]
50th Northumbrian Division
66th East Lancashire Division
18th Eastern Division [in reserve]
IX Corps
1st Division [in reserve]
6th Division [in reserve]
32nd Division
46th North Midland Division
Australian Corps [in reserve]
1st Australian Division
2nd Australian Division
3rd Australian Division
5th Australian Division
II US Corps [in reserve]
27th US Division
30th US Division
GHQ Reserve
39th Division
4th Australian Division